Psalm 139

Lately, more than ever, I've begun to see the importance of memorizing God's word--it is life to my soul!
Shortly after we began school this year we started working on memorizing Psalm 139. It only took my 2 younger sons 30 days to memorize the whole Psalm, whereas I'm still working on it, 40 days later. I'd like to think that's because my brain is full of years of Bountiful Wisdom...but I think in reality it's just getting rusty.

Anyway-it took 2 Dove chocolates and some extra computer time to bribe #4 into letting me share this video with you. I hope you enjoy it.
(BTW-he is disgusted with how young he sounds on the video and wanted to make sure you know he's not 3.He's 8!)

Apple Pie/Cake

What do you get when you cross a Klutz with a 48 year old body?
A smushed shoulder, upper arm, and neck. Knots everywhere in her back, her arm, and her neck. Pain everywhere in her back, arm, and neck. Insomnia because of the pain. A poor old blog that's neglected once again.

The klutz is feeling somewhat better and wanted me to share this recipe with you. It is deeeeelicious and only takes a few minutes to whip up.

Ingredients:
1/2 C. melted butter
3/4 C. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 rounded t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 C. flour
2 C. chopped apple
1/2 C. chopped nuts

Mix it up in the order given, then pour it into a greased 9" pie pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
You can serve this with cool whip, vanilla ice-cream, or just a good cup of coffee!
I'm sorry I don't have a picture to post with this to tempt you with. You'll just have to trust me and try it.

In My Dreams

I'm a keeper of bees

I'm young enough, and in good enough shape to climb Mt. Everest

I am given the same gift Paul was: 3 years alone with Jesus

I live on a rocky, windswept shore of the ocean somewhere where

or

I live on Prince Edward Island



In my dreams:

My husband and I are able to take a hiking trip through the English countryside, stopping at pubs and cozy little bed & breakfasts whenever the mood strikes us. We really need an extended amount of time together....

We have enough time and money to take our sons and their special-someones on a trip from here to Yellowstone and the Giant Redwood Forest

I have parents. I need them so badly

I live out in the country where I can raise a pig every year or so-this would be for eating, not a pet

I would be able to keep flowers alive outside

After my death, but before I get to heaven, Jesus takes me soaring with Him over all of creation. the earth is such an incredible place and there are so, so many places I want to see before He rolls it all up like a scroll:
Mt. Everest
Galapagos Islands
Machu Picchu
New Zealand
The Black Forest
The Swiss Alps
Madagascar
Banff National Park
The Great Barrier Reef
castles in Scotland
The Italian Alps
etc.
etc.
etc.

my funeral is a Celebration not a mourning. (No comments from you, my sons!)

And I dream that someday:

I'll be brave enough to write a book and attempt to have it published.

I'll live without fear and trust the Lord like He should be trusted

Our walls will be painted happy colors, and we'll have new flooring throughout

My brothers and I will be able to have a "funeral" for my dad. The three of us haven't been all together in one place since my dad died 7 years ago. I would love to laugh and cry and say goodbye to him with my brothers

We have a house with a dining room big enough for all of us to sit in, eat in and share our hearts with one another in, without being scrunched

I'll find a hair style I like

In my dreams

I have a Sam and a Turnbul marching through life alongside me

I have 2 someones at my disposal to help rearrange furniture any time the mood strikes

the scriptures speak to my heart in ways I never imagined

I'm not afraid to stand up in front of a crowd and actually speak

I live remembering that Eternity with Jesus is coming


So, how about you? What are some of your dreams? Pipe or otherwise....

Three Little Birds....

I wasn't sure I was going to make it last year when our 2 oldest sons moved out. Watching them pack up and move their stuff out bit by bit was way more difficult than I'd ever imagined. I felt like our family was dying; like a piece of me was dying. I felt like I'd suddenly popped over the hill and was on a slow slide down to "the end".

What on earth is my purpose now? What will I do with my time? Who am I if I'm not a mom to all 4 sons? I knew I was still a wife, but that was only half of me. The other half was being dissected. The mom half. Will they be too busy to come home once in awhile? To call? Will our family lose its closeness? Will they still need me? Is it OK and normal to want them to need me? Did we teach them everything they need to know to live a Good life with God as the center?

To make matters worse, our second son was not only moving out, he was moving into a not-so-safe part of the city to work with inner city kids. Would he be safe down there?

Believe it or not, those are just some of the questions and emotions that ran through me. I was also concerned that I'd made an idol out of my sons and our family. Was it through them that I found my joy? My fulfillment? My purpose? Those things should come from my relationship with Jesus.

Well, a year ago last June we decided to take our two younger sons on a mini-vacation shortly after we'd finished school for the year. We made reservations at a motel about a day's drive away, and took off. It just so happened that the day we pulled out of the driveway was the day our second son ended up moving out. Talk about weird. There we were, driving away, pulling out of our home for a few days, when my boy was loading his car and pulling out for good. I thought my heart would crack and crumble. I wanted to be there for him, to say goodbye. To help if he wanted/needed it. My husband knew better. He thought it would be easier on everyone if he got his weepy wife out of the way!

As we drove I kept tearing up like a leaky hose. Finally # 3 couldn't take it anymore. He reached forward from the backseat of the car and handed me a CD.
"Here mom. Let's listen to this."

I mindlessly popped it into the CD player and heard Bob Marley singing "Three Little Birds". It's over there on my play list if you want to listen to it. It's a "happy" little song with a fun beat. I immediately cheered up. Life looked better and more hopeful. Of course, my husband didn't know what was going through my head-I wasn't talking. I was just listening. Listening to the words, but thinking about The Word.
As I listened and thought my husband suddenly interrupted me: "Why are you listening to that? Do you know what a humanistic worldview that guy has?" And he reached over to turn the CD player off.

"Wait! Could we please listen to it? Listen to those words! 'Three little birds, on my doorstep, singin' sweet songs, of melodies pure and true'...."

Bob Marley may not know a thing about melodies pure and true, but when I heard those words I thought about the bible and the melodies pure and true that resonate from cover to cover.
It was like there was a slide show suddenly running in my head...pictures of my life and how I'd seen God holding onto me, loving me, healing me, teaching me...

While Bob chirped his little tune the Lord was hugging me and reassuring me.
One after another of His promises ran through my heart-

...in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deut. 31:8)

... If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. (Ps. 139:8-10)

... your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be. (Ps. 139:16)

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps.139:23-24)

Bob and his little birdies may not know a thing about anything, but the Lord was able to use even that mindless little song to reassure me that yes, every little thing is gonna be alright.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window It is still dark outside. No moon, no stars. Just a black, quiet morning.

I am thinking about weddings, deaths, family reunions, graduations, lesson plans, losing more weight, ironing, bible study tomorrow night, cozy fall evenings and the smell of apple butter simmering in the crockpot, fall crafting with our soon to be 8 year old....need I go on?

I am thankful for oh so many things! First of all, I'm thankful for the Word of God. It reassures me that the Lord is with me, He loves me, and He won't leave me where I sit today. I'm also thankful for an antique rocking chair we found at a garage sale Saturday. According to the man who sold it, it's circa 1900. It's Cherry wood and in mint condition! The chair was in his antique store, but he was quitting the business and just wanted to get rid of everything. He sold the chair to us for 5.00 dollars!

From the kitchen: I need to make granola and bake some cookies. The cookie jar is just about empty!


I am wearing a huge, comfy dress. I bought it years ago when I was huge, to wear to my niece's wedding. It's so big that now I use it for a nightgown.


I am creating...nothing at present. Hmmm....

I am going to stay home today, do some school, some baking, and some laundry.


I am reading 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John over and over again in preparation for a bible study that starts tomorrow at our church.


I am hoping to find some time to make a few cards this week and begin the tedious task of organizing and sorting pictures that need to scrapbooked.


I am hearing a clock tick tocking away, cars driving by and the hum of our computer.

Around the house...dust bunnies need to be ferreted out, a mountain of ironing is calling my name, and the windows need to be washed. Exciting stuff, eh?


One of my favorite things is getting up while it's still dark outside and the house is quiet. It's the only time I get to be alone and think uninterrupted thoughts.


A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Right now I just need to takle my to-do list, but it seems like unexpected things pop up that take priority, so who knows?

This is one of my favorite pictures of our two oldest sons. I wonder where the time has gone?



To read more Daybooks visit Peggy @ The Simple Woman's Daybook. I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Parenting

My husband and I have decided that "parenting" adult children is like riding a rollercoaster. You strap yourself in and hang on for the ride, but they call the shots. You are left alone in your seat to deal with the ups and downs and sidewayses and all the emotions that go along with the ride.

36 Dollars

We spent 36$ in order to take our youngest son to the zoo the other day. 36$ for THREE of us.
He enjoyed the seals and the sea lions, but after that he only had eyes for the birds. We practically had to drag him away from the pink flamingos and their best friends, the ducks.
We looked at giraffes. Well, my husband and I did. When we looked down to talk to our son about their long necks and what they were eating, he was gone. He was across the way, looking at an ugly old vulture.
While my husband and I stood and laughed at a teenage baboon digging a hole in the ground with his back legs up over his head, our 7 year old ornithologist was watching the sparrows dart in and out, over and around the baboon.
We took him to see the kimono dragons. SOME of us admired their muscular legs and long claws. We were fascinated by the fact that those dragons can smell their dinner up to 2 miles away. (Sort of like me with chocolate, but that's beside the point.) While we were studying the dragon, my little boy was once again studying the sparrows fluttering around the dragon's lair.
He shuffled his feet and lethargically looked at the elephants, the zebras, and the red pandas. Forget those boring animals. Where are the robins and sparrows?
Finally we took him in to see the desert creatures and meerkats.
"Look Barrett! Look at the size of that tortoise!"
"Yeah, but mom, look at that zebra finch! He has a nest up there in the rocks!"
We tried to interest him in the bearded dragons, the iguana and some of the other lizards whose names I don't recall.

"Look at that quail! Can I have a quail for a pet? OH! That's the kind of finch I saw at the pet store! He's from Australia and costs 100$. Can I get that kind of finch for a pet?"

The meerkats only received a polite nod from his little head. Then he was looking up, looking for the tiny birds that fluttered over our heads.

Finally we decided to sit outside in the shade and cool off. That's when that little guy really came to life. The sparrows! Oh the sparrows! He darted around watching them, following them, laughing at them, and tossing bits of his Cliff Bar out to them. He laughed at a robin hopping along the ground, and chased off a black bird. (He was stealing food from the sparrows.)
There were sparrows everywhere; some of them nearly brushed our shoulders when they came in for a landing. Our son didn't know where to look so he looked everywhere at once. His head bobbed left, then right, then up, then he'd twirl around, trying to watch each and every bird all at the same time.
My favorite part of the day was watching him. However, next time I want to do that, I'm going to spend 36$ on birdseed and throw it and my son out into the back yard.